Bathing-suit.



J. F. BURKE.

BATHING SUlT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. me.

Patented July 16, 1918'.

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JOHN F. BURKE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BATI-IING-SUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application filed. July 19, 1916. Serial No. 110,065.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN F. BURKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Bathing-Suits, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a bathing suit which shall provide buoyancy, especially for the head of the bather to permit easy floating by keeping the mouth and nose well out of the water.

My invention consists of a bathing garment provided with a large collar portion which at the back of the neck is furnished with buoyant parts, whereby when said collar is turned upward and back of the head it will buoy up the head and enable the bather to hold her mouth and nose well out of the water without exertion.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will be more fully understood from the description hereinafter, the invention consists in the novel construction of bathing suit as hereinafter more fully described and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improved bathing garment in use; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same adjacent to the shoulders and neck; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the buoyant collar, on line w-m of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the shoulder portions showing the collar removable.

2 is the body of the garment and may be of any of the usual designs, and is provlded with a large collar 3 fitting the neck opening 4:. By way of example, I have shown the co ar of the type known as a sailor collar which may be permanent with the blouse body 2, as in Fig. 1, or may be detachable as in Fig. 1, in which it is buttoned on at 7. If detachable, the collar may be attached in any suitable manner as I do not restrict myself in this respect. The large back portion 3 of the collar is provided with pockets in which buoyant bodies 5 are secured. These buoyant bodies may be of any suitable construction such as cork or pneumatic if desired, and I do not limit myself in this respect. I prefer to arrange these buoyant bodies somewhat in fan shape, radiating from the neck opening 4;, but while preferable this is not essential. The front flaps of the body may be provided with tapes 6 To use the garment, the collar is turned up back of the head and the tapes tied under the chin. The head will now be resting in a curved buoyant structure, and in floating position (Fig. 1) it is supported well out of the water, so far as the mouth and nose are concerned. The buoyancy of the collar keeps it naturally snugly to the head, but this is much facilitated by the tapes 6 when tied under the chin.

While the collar is buoyant, the blouse may be also somewhat buoyant by being provided with buoyant bodies 8 under the arms and toward the chest. Any buoyant means may be employed for the general garment, but my invention is not restricted to a buoyant garment beyond the use of a buoyant collar adapted to be turned up back of the head.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bathing garment, a blouse portion provided with a large broad collar attached to the neck and extending loosely I down the back and also over the shoulders and down the front, said front portions being separated by a deep V-neck opening, the back portion bein provided on its under side with a plurality of longitudinally arranged buoyant bodies arranged to give buoyancy and great transverse flexibility whereby the collar may be turned up back of the head and caused to fit up upon each side thereof when floating, and means at the outer edges of the front portions of the collar adjacent to the shoulder portions thereof for fastening the collar in position around the neck of the wearer.

2. In a bathing garment, the combination of the waist or blouse portion provided with a large collar having at the rear of the neck opening buoyant portions, whereby the collar may be turned up back of the head to act as a buoyant support therefor while floating, said collar portion also having means for fastening the lateral edges there'- of together adjacent to the chin of the wearer.

3. In a bathing garment, the combination ofthe Waist or blouse portion pi'oyide'd with a large collar of textile fabric having at the rear of the see opening buoyant portions, whereby the collar may turn-ed upload; of the head to act as a buoyant support therefor while floating, thesa idbuoyant portions comprising a series of buoyant bodies of elongated form arranged side by side lengthwise of the garment and permitting the collar to be bent freely upward on each side of the head.

- 4. A life preserver, comprising a body member and a collar member connected thereto and having longitudinally arranged buoyant bodies and securing means at the front edges whereby the collar maybe raised and eiitended at the rear of the head and secured in front. V

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand. L s i JOHN F. BURKE. Witnesses; v

E. W. sin-ea, R. sans.

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